ravenmore

Man, what the h3ll is up with Campy 9 speed prices? I'm building up an old steel Centurion IronMan Master. I've always wanted to try Campy so I figured I'd do Campy 9 spd on it. I thought since its older it would be fairly inexpensive. Boy was I wrong. What the crap? Is it all blessed by the Pope on the assembly line before it leaves the factory? The Shimano 9 speed stuff is way more affordable by comparison, so I guess I'll be going that route......again. The main purpose for the bike is having something more comfortable on those long training rides over Texas chip seal - so there is no reason to spend a ton of $$$ on it.

aballas

why not just go 10 speed with some parts from the PBK sale?

GuitarWizard

Yeah....Shimano stuff works perfectly fine. No point in spending extra money on a training bike.

SDRider

Since Campy isn't as common I guess it would make sense that it would go for more on the used market than the more common Shimano stuff.

Why not go with a Centaur 10spd groupset?

ravenmore

I could go with 10 spd if I wanted to, I just figured the 9spd would be cheaper and in Shimano it is. Heck I could do all Ultegra or even Dura Ace 9spd probably for the same or cheaper price as 10 spd Centaur.

Side note, I have to admit I always did like the look of the black 105 group. So must everyone else because there seems to be a bit of a price premium there too.

R-Wells

Your not looking at the big picture.
Campy is rebuildable.

Think how much you would save If you go with Record group and rebuild the components 3 times in 12 months.
Vs Going with going with say a 105 group and not rebuilding.

humble_biker

Since it's a Centurion why not build it with down tube shifters? And save your bucks for your real ride...

Steev

I hope you're making an extreme example here, or do you really have to rebuild Campy stuff 3 times a year?

humble_biker

No doubt. I just retired a pair of Sachs Ergo 8sp I've been riding since 1992 (or 03, I forget). Never had to do any maintenance other than lube and cables. Even then I say save your bucks for your true ride and keep this one to a minimum.

Cleave

Hi,

Campy 9-speed is more expensive because it was discontinued several years ago in Record and Chorus and at least a couple of years in the rest of the lines. Not being a Shimano guy, I don't know if their 9-speed stuff is still in production.

I am surprised at the low price of Veloce 10-speed.

(BTW, the photos on your blog are quite good.)

ravenmore

I thought about that, and I ride a lot with guys who have DT or bar end shifters. The reason I'd like to go STI is that we have a lot of hills around here that are 15% degree grade or more (some are 25%). Taking your hand off of the bars to shift on one of these sucks.

The rebuildable argument has some merit, but in the year and a half that I've had my current Ultegra setup on my main ride I haven't encountered an issue where I would need to rebuild it even once. The Campy Record shifters are going for $250 to almost $400!!!! I can get Dura Ace 9 for $150 to $200 I think.

It goes on from there. A Campy Chorus 9 rear derailer is probably around $60 to $70. An Ultegra 9 is under $50. Heck, you really want to see the disparity between the two look at cassettes on Ebay. Its just silly.

ravenmore

I'll check out the price on the Veloce - that's what, roughly equivalent to 105 in the Shimano line?

Thanks for the compliment on my pics. I actually posted this thread in FOO about my other addiction. You can see larger versions of some of the pics there if you're interested.

ravenmore

Wow - Probikekit actually has the entire 105 10spd groupset for $523 right now with free shipping. I could sell off some of the parts I don't need and make it even cheaper.

Patriot

You can get a 10 speed Veloce group for $313 plus shipping from 11speed.

Then get the crank from PBK for $56 with free shipping.

I installed just that on my Centurion as a commuter bike. The Veloce group is easily equivalent to 106, and it's bombproof compared to anything else I have ridden so far.

ravenmore

Good price - is there a good online place to get it for that? Couple of my usual online stores either don't carry it or are more expensive than that.

edit: Doh - did you just edit your reply? I thought when I hit reply w/quote your reply was different. Gracias either way. I'm off to 11speed.com

Patriot

^^^ Yes,

Like I said, you can get the majority of the group from www.11speed.com

The Veloce crank you can get from www.probikekit.com for $56 free shipping. (11speed is sold out)

Here's a couple pics of my rebuilt Centurion that I use as my commuter now. It's a heavier framed bike, but very smooth, and built for bad weather.

cjbruin

Rebuild 3 times per year? That doesn't sound right.

If it is, he wouldn't save anything because 105 will last him several years.

ravenmore

Thanks - that sounds good although I just found an extra shimano 9/10 rear hub lying around. I'd have to buy a new rear hub/wheel if I go Campy. Might be worth it though.

Your Centurion looks nice. Did you do the paint yourself? I also need to have mine painted. I was thinking of taking it somewhere to have it powder coated. I'm in the process of taking everything off the frame this morning. It needs some love thats for sure.

phantomcow2

I am very happy with my veloce shifters, I only payed 90 bucks from PBK. Plus 43 for the matching 10sp derailleur.

I think Mirage shifters are still 9 speed (for 2006), you can probably pick those up for a good price.

Patriot

Yes, I painted it myself, with good solid primer, numerous coats of paint, and about 5 coats of clear coat for protection against the elements. I even repainted the contact area around the BB where it gets installed into the shell, and coated it with epoxy laminate for extra protection against rock chips and debris when it gets really nasty out. Works like a charm.


And, if your looking for a decent wheel, I have been using the 2006 Ventos I got for only $150. Going on 6 months now with good results.

phantomcow2

WOw, the price of 10sp veloce shifters is only 96USD from 11 speed. Plus 50 for the derailleur.

I am not an expert in the shimano field, but that it a lot cheaper tahn 105.

Patriot

I'd have to say, to completel;y rebuild my Centurion posted above, I spent about $900 total in parts. But, I bought new handlebars, computer w/altimeter, new wheels/tires, complete group w/Chorus threaded headset, rack, bag, Cygo-Lite, Freddy Fenders, and a Terry Mens Ti Fly saddle.

The only original parts on the bike are the frame, forks, stem, and seatpost. Everything else is new.

ravenmore

I hear ya - its a lot of work to "restore" and am mainly doing it for fun. There are cheaper ways to get a complete bike. I have yet to find a place to sand blast and paint the frame. No telling what that will set me back. I really don't have the expertise or equipment to do it myself. Then I have to buy the components. Veloce is looking good and I'll likely need the shifters, cassette, chain, and rear derailer. I might be able to use the Shimano 600 front derailer and brakes - all are in excellent condition. The wheels are in great shape too just that the rear is of course 7 speed, so I'll need a new rear wheel. I'll also replace the stem and bars as you did. I also for some reason want to put a Brooks Swift saddle on it, so that's $200 right there. Betcha it really adds up. But I'm not in a hurry so I'll just do it as time/budget allows.

FarHorizon

Short answer: You get what you pay for - Campy wears in, Shimano wears out.

ravenmore

Found a place today that'll blast and powder coat the frame for probably less than $100. Sweet! I'll probably take it to them next week. I'm thinking I'll just do it all black.

Patriot - those Ventos look like a good idea. For the money I might give them a whirl.